North Carolina running back Caleb Hood (4) is stopped after a gain of one yard by UNC Charlotte defensive back Gavin Shipman (4) in the third quarter on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. Robert Willett rwillett@newsobserver.com
His eyes were red, like he’d just been crying. His voice caught with emotion when he spoke, as if to prove that point. Such passion was understandable given the historic weight of Saturday: Bill Belichick, winner of six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, earned his first college victory Saturday night with a 20-3 win over Charlotte.
But this wasn’t Belichick choking up after the game. Rather, it was 49ers coach Tim Albin who found himself on the brink of tears.
Belichick, meanwhile, found himself at Jerry Richardson Stadium, of all places, marking his milestone in front of 19,233 fans and a smattering of temporary bleachers. The greatest pro coach alive laid the foundation for his new career path — the first of, he hopes, many wins — not with a grand showing, but with a modest win over a middling opponent.
The stage hardly matched the milestone. Neither did the score, the product on the field — and certainly not Belichick’s reaction.
When UNC chancellor Lee Roberts presented the coach with the game ball in the locker room, according to a team social media post, Belichick offered little more than, “Alright, I appreciate you guys.” North Carolina defensive back Gavin Gibson joked afterward that Belichick probably didn’t even want the souvenir.
“For Bill this is just a small step of the way,” Gibson said, “building on this season that we are doing. This is the first win for him, first one for us as a team, but we know that there’s still a lot of growing to do.”
North Carolina coach Bill Belichick leaves the field following the Tar Heels’ 20-3 victory on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. Robert Willett rwillett@newsobserver.com
Soggy setting
A record crowd weathered a thunderstorm and half-hour delay to cram into Richardson Stadium. Many of the Charlotte students in attendance, upon the gates opening, sprinted to take their seats. The drama, much like Monday, vanished by halftime. By games’ end, two sections of UNC fans danced along as the traveling band played the fight song. The rest of the stadium was empty. The field the fleeing fans left behind had hosted more of a slog than a showcase.
Belichick’s team did what it had to. Nothing more, nothing less.
The first few minutes, as with the season opener, teased something better. Quarterback Gio Lopez, who exited in the third quarter Monday with a back injury, came out sharp. On the game’s opening drive, he fired three straight completions, capped by a 51-yard strike to Chris Culliver in the end zone. The defense followed with a quick stop. Rece Verhoff tacked on a 49-yard field goal.
Just like that, North Carolina went up 10-0 after two possessions.
The dominance never came. Charlotte answered with a field goal in the second quarter, a 39-yard attempt from former Tar Heel Liam Boyd. After eight straight completed passes, Lopez and the offense stalled. Culliver left just before halftime with a shoulder injury, robbing Lopez of his top target. The Tar Heels managed just 64 yards of total offense in the second half — including a mere 10 yards through the air. What started with a flourish ended with a shrug.
North Carolina wide receiver Chris Culliver (3) is attended to by medical personnel after an injury in the second quarter on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. Robert Willett rwillett@newsobserver.com
Tar Heels show some improvement
“I thought overall it was a solid effort,” Belichick said. “Certainly a lot of room for improvement. We could do a better job in all the areas. Coaching, fundamentals, playing. Missed some opportunities, but you know, thought the players deserved it.”
Even in victory, more deficiencies got exposed: flags thrown at bad moments, like a face mask penalty on Kaleb Cost or an illegal substitution called for 12 Tar Heels on the field. A sputtering, but slightly improved, ground game. A passing attack that shrank without Culliver and was essentially nonexistent in the second half.
One drive stood out, though, stood out. With just under three minutes left in the first half, Lopez scrambled three times on an 11-play, 80-yard march. Freshman back Davion Gause finished it off with a 12-yard touchdown run, pushing UNC’s lead to 17-3.
North Carolina running back Davion Gause (37) reacts after scoring a touchdown on a 12-yard run in the second quarter to give the Tar Heels a 17-3 lead against UNC Charlotte on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. Robert Willett rwillett@newsobserver.com
For Belichick, this was the best execution of the night. It even warranted a smile.
“That was a big swing for us,” Belichick said. “We had a similar situation last week against TCU, and we kind of messed that up, and then they ended up kicking a field goal at the end of the half. So that was a big drive for us there to close out the half. Very well executed.”
UNC defense stops the run
The defense also gave Belichick something to point to. After being gashed for 258 rushing yards by TCU, UNC held Charlotte to just 21 on the game — less than a yard per carry — and kept the 49ers out of the end zone.
Charlotte did itself very few favors. Wide receiver E. Jai Mason dropped a sure touchdown pass in the third quarter. 49ers quarterback and former Tar Heel Connor Harrell fumbled a snap that set up linebacker Andrew Simpson’s sack on the next play — making UNC the last Power Four team to record a sack this season. Penalties and miscues piled up for both teams in the fourth quarter and, by the final minutes, the crowd’s energy had drained.
North Carolina just happened to have the lead when the clock ran out.
Albin fought back tears as he reflected on another loss. The emotion belonged to him. Belichick, on the other side, stayed flat as usual.
“It’s great,” Belichick said of the milestone. “But it’s really about the team. The players went out there and made the plays tonight.”
Saturday night, though, was still a line in the history book for Belichick. It will be remembered. Just not mistaken for a masterpiece. Not in the slightest.
North Carolina quarterback Gio Lopez (7) looks for an open receiver in the second quarter on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. Robert Willett rwillett@newsobserver.com
“I think for us, it was a positive,” Lopez said. “Got the short weekend and, you know, get that taste out of our mouth. We still didn’t play our best ball at all.
We could play a lot better, but just overall, to get a win — it felt good.”